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The F-16 is one of the most exciting aircraft in military service. Small and extremely manoeuvrable it's a superb dogfighter which is in service with many NATO air forces. F-16 is a simulation of not only the aircraft itself, but a complete battlefield which you and your squadron of F-16s must dominate.

But before that you must prove your mettle by successfully completing five missions: Scramble has you intercepting a couple of MiGs, Hammerblow is a bombing raid on an enemy airfield, Deepstrike means taking out power stations, factories and bridges, Tankbuster is self-explanatory while Watchtower is a reconnaissance mission. Crash and your service record is automatically erased (on disk, anyway) and you must start again.

Once you've completed your training you're promoted to Squadron Leader, and can now crash almost as many aircraft as you want. You're also in command of four other F-16s. These can be sent on missions to destroy various enemy targets; choosing between tank formations and factories is critical.

Once you've sent your minions off into battle, it's time you set yourself up for a mission. The battlefield is large; to cross it will require at least one refuelling, and you can set up to five waypoints to navigate once airborne. Next you can arm up, there's a formidable range of weapons from air-to-air Sidewinders and laser-guided bombs to a LANTIRN pod (for night flying).

At last, you're in the detailed and very realistic cockpit. The Head-Up Display shows most of the vital info - speed, altitude, weapon selected - but the instrument panel needs to be watched too. There's three TV displays showing what kind of weapons you're carrying, a map of the immediate vicinity, and radar. There are, in fact, three display modes: landing, ground attack and dogfight, showing the relevant info to the situation.

It's been three years since the best C64 flight simulation came out (Project: Stealth Fighter, of course), and F-16 doesn't really challenge it as a compelling game. It may boast a far more sophisticated and realistic flight performance than any other 8-bit flight sim but gameplay is repetitive. The idea of an ongoing battle is a sound one and works well within the game but it'll take an *awful* long time to get anywhere with it.

I also miss MicroProse-style "razzmatazz presentation", which makes it a very sober game to play with simply not enough variety in either the mission types or graphics - although they do move fast. On a final note I'll admit that it's a great conversion of the 16-bit original, but after quite some play of that I'm afraid it was overrated and benefited from the lack of an Amiga F-19.

It's been over six months since the 16-bit version took flight, but it's been worth the wait. Buildings and vehicles may only be wireframe, but they're usually at such a distance that it doesn't matter much, and the vital frame-rate is as quick as you could want.

Unlike the sluggish Fighter Bomber, F-16 gives a real feeling of actually flying - the aircraft moves swiftly and realistically. And, once you're promoted to Squadron Leader, you've got an entire battlefield to look after. Digital Integration have worked miracles in cramming so much realism and gameplay into the C64. Disk access is reasonable, although the as yet unseen tape version could be more painful.

My only reservation is that it's a bit difficult, it'll take time to get the best out of it. While Robin complains about the dullness of the graphics, I'm happy with their speed and impressed by the massive challenge. If you want something to really test your flying and strategic skills, this fits the bill.

Presentation 85%
Comprehensive manual, although more on the F-16 than F-16. Attractive static screens. Vital key guide. Save/load option.

Graphics 79%
Wireframe buildings and vehicles, a bit repetitive but still quite convincing and fast, with a night-time option. Good instrument panel too.

Sound 25%
Basic engine roar and explosion FX.

Hookability 70%
Can take off quite easily, but mastering all the controls takes time.

Lastability 78%
Not a great amount of graphical or mission variety. But if you approach it as a strategic game, there's plenty to keep you busy.

Overall 76%
An ambitious mix of wargame and flight sim which buffs will love.